Six Three months ago, there were only a handful of worthy pubs that coined the G-word. Haven in Old Towne Orange, Corona del Mar's SideDoor and The Crosby in SanTana were some of our favorites (Still are!). But the trend is booming with the latest trifecta of stiff drinks and quality eats.
Wild Goose Tavern was the first to take off earlier this month. Housing a hunting theme and haute dogs to ogle, their super-sized liquor selection (Hel-LO bourbon!) has mass appeal to the Costa Mesa set. Since Valhalla Table closed, it may prove to be a worthy replacement. Yet it has some serious competition.
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We head north for our next encounter. With a name like Hopscotch, it better be one playful hangout. Serving preview nights and liquid refreshment the last couple of weeks, our friend at The Hungry Dogg dropped by their Fullerton digs over the weekend, only to find out it was closed for more construction. He was informed food service would commence Tuesday. We tried to confirm, but were greeted by a full voicemail box. That slow-roasted chicken better be worth the wait.
Coming full circle in our short list, the space Wild Goose is housed in used to be local favorite The Little Knight. Well, they've changed address (but not city) in their new digs at the former Triangle Square. Reinvented as Black Knight Gastro Lounge, part of their menu will include food from another tenant, Olive Branch Wood Fired Pizza. We anticipate an opening in the next 30 days.
It's too soon to say who will reign supreme in this new roundup, but one thing's certain: We've got a lot of drinking to accomplish.
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A contributing writer for OC Weekly, Anne Marie freelances for multiple online and print publications, and guest judges for culinary competitions. A Bay Area transplant, she graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management from Cal Poly Pomona. Find her on Instagram as brekkiefan.